This is what I have the most trouble doing. Despite learning about the fundamentals, I have a habit of always diving into details even when trying not to. I also love the blocked-in look from a stylistic standpoint. I really want to get that down in my art and make it have some kind of form and not just a flat looking drawing. This is something I wish I studied more when I got into art. Thanks for the lesson!
This is my issue exactly! I went from learning the simple fundamentals of the loomis method to too much detail/values. This "middle step" where I get to triple check the block in shapes should help out a lot. Definitely a lightbulb moment for me in my progress.
SAME!!! I've always tended to jump in right into details and shading which is silly because the final drawings never look as professional as these block-in ones and they definitely lack substance. I really love this video and I hope it'll help me improve my sketches, I'm going to practice this from now on, forcing myself to refrain from jumping into details too quickly!!
@@Drstrange3000 Thank you!!! Same here!! I did a sketch of a face and instead of jumping into shading too fast I mapped out the shaded forms in blocks and it already looks better too😀Good luck you as well!
This is exactly what I've been missing in my drawings. Capturing the true form is the most difficult thing for me and now I know how to train it! Thank you for this short but such an insightful video!
Thank you stephen! This is exactly what I have been looking for! I have practiced and have become decent in most of the fundamentals but I always struggled with making the proportions right. This helps a bunch!
I would guess that this video is going to help me improve my drawing faster than might otherwise be the case. I really like the fact that Stephen talks about using time more efficiently . Thanks, Stephen!
Absolutely beautiful video 👏🏻 Each and every line you said should be ingrained into the heads of a beginner Artist cuz they make lots of mistakes. Respect 🧡
I love the over all quality of your content , not only the quality of all the videos in general but the information that you're giving to us!! I'm so thankfull, it is really helpfull to the community and i hope your channel to grow soon!
I really appreciate this 🙏 I was a bit confused about the term at first and now I finally understand what you mean. You're excellent at explaining stuff in a way I understand. 👍
This is why I love the internet. What I could get from a college course but for free on RU-vid. Will be buying your patreon soon. The way you talked about this just made my brain click to continue my growth.
Stages Of A Block In: 1. Composition (where is the head within the boundaries of the paper) 2. Proportion (size of the head) 3. Develops a Head Structure Template using the loomis method 4. Double check everything (features & structure of the head) 5. Focus on the dichotomy of light shape & shadow shape. *Don’t mind me I’m leaving notes to self.*
Humans have a whole, special section of our brain that is dedicated to identifying and differentiating human faces. It's why we can look at our drawings and notice the minutiae of what's off, let alone large differences.
Very useful information and I like your style of teaching. Personally, I find the music really distracting. I don’t feel like your videos need it and, for me, it conflicts with your voice. Anyway, just my opinion. Great channel.
So so useful! And so beautiful donne and so so well explained. I really need to get better at blocking. The temptation to go too fast in this fase gets me every time 😅 I'm saving this video ❤ Love your content. 💕
this process of breaking down the underlying foundation of this portrait method is very valuable to the art community! Thank you for teaching us valuable techniques and practices!
had no idea i was doing this the whole time without knowing what it was called lol this video is still helpful though, one day i hope to be consistent with how i structure my drawings. sometimes i oversimplify or hyperfocus on one feature too much!
Fantastic! I am trying to improve my portrait artwork and the block-in phase, specifically, is definitely where I struggle the most. Your previous videos, in combination, with this one is a game changer for me. I will definitely be subscribing to your patron. Thanks for sharing this vital information so elegantly.
im going to do more of these...i can do a portrait using the grid method. but ivve always wanted to freehand accurately. its always wonky or flat. had some random luck here and there. but i want to turn luck into skill. i love your videos. ill watch more.
I loved the video and your explanations and gives, but Im not sure I got the "step" needed. You are drawing that picture of man and you did it amazing, very similar very recognizable, but with explanation of step by step. I didn't get the idea of blockings (Im not even sure im writing it well)
Stephen thank you l am 75 and regaining my hand after little drawing for 50 years. I taught with a disciple of Reginald Marsh , Ed Holliman (sp?)in 1970 ( and my girlfriend was one of his models). He let me audit classes. A terrific teacher, his students were copying de Vinci anatomy with walnut hull ink beautifully.
I always tend to forget the basics when drawing, but coming back to RU-vid and re-watching videos is the best way to get back on track for me. You can be sure I'll be re-watching this one tomorrow!
Amazing advice, truly. If you were to quit watching RU-vid to focus on your art, this is the last video you should watch and memorize. Golden advice!!!!
Here I am, surrounded by a thousand dollars in pencils (lol-just about) and I can't pick up a one. I've been like that since art skool, decades ago, where my own paintings were admired--by the instructors, accomplished artists all. point being that I probably could bang out a decent picture. Where I'm stuck is of what and why? P.S. Composition can't be over-taught, so thanks!
"of what and why" this question plagued me. What finally worked was venturing into a totally new medium. I never was into 3d art, clay was my nemesis. So I started doing that. Its great!
Wow! Pretty awesome! You said something very, very important in anything that you do. That is to master the basics and spend a lot of time doing that. My martial arts instructor always stresses practicing the basic stances and moves to strengthen your balance and muscles. And with art, is the same thing. You hit it right on the nail with this one. I've been doing art as a hobby and ever since I started practicing the basic concepts you just explained, my drawing skills have dramatically improved 300%. Pretty awesome! I'll keep listening to your videos until I get it right. THX!!!!
Went to a live drawing session last night and was so self-conscious. I really appreciate your comments about how a finely-tuned drawing isn't necessarily "better" than an energetic, gestural one (you said this in a different video). But this video is tilting me toward joining your Patreon site. I just want to get really *good* at this.
What is accuracy for me,I just doodle with digital pen,crayons,ink y mix mediums y I could do silver y gold smith crafts I just eat our workersy letterings in gothic by watching my dad growing up in 60 etc…btw my 2kids do it in2-D y 3-D…lol
Hello, im new to this and i have a question, i have been practicing the Loomis method and i thoght that the Loomis method is what shaped the head so do you start with the Loomis method or just sketch the head shape?
great vid! just a note on behalf of those of us who like to draw along with the video, keeping the reference/subject up while talking would be nice -- otherwise really helpful content!
Mind blown! This is like discovering a missing jigsaw piece under the sofa! I shall totally be adding this stage into my workflow from now on! Thanks 🤍
I’m going to be a dissenting voice here. I am also a pro artist, working in film, commercials for tv, comic books, illustrations…I only state this so that you know this is a informed opinion. Okay here we go… I believe relying on construction to heavily creates laziness in observation. You set done something that in “contrary” to what you actually “see” and then from the construction, try to work back to what’s actually there. To me this creates stiff drawings and paintings if that’s where you’re going, and loses the actual life that should be there, if you actually drew what you saw. Now if you don’t know what you’re looking at right from the start, you of course are going to have some problems. If you have no real idea what an eye, mouth, nose, ear and so forth look like, then drawing accurately what you see is more difficult. But even in this case, if you look acutely, and trust what your eyes tell you, and put that down, I believe these days, after many years of professional experience, you will get better results. You need to teach yourself anatomy… to you know what you are looking at. But in real life, even that will tell you, all eyes are different. All noes are different. The underlying anatomy is basically within a tolerance level kind of the same, but at the same time varies wildly. Look at ten peoples ears. No two will be exactly alike. In the the end, to me construction takes you away from what’s there, and then you try to work back to what you really see. Better to draw what you see, then make the minor adjustments when you see where your a bit off. By doing this continuously you stop making mistakes, because you are looking acutely all the time and are use to seeing accurately what you’re looking at. That all said, what this gentleman says is a time honored practice, and does generally produce solid work. I just no longer personally think it’s the best way. Take everything that I say here for what it’s worth. Good luck to you all.
@sparkspark2314 Hi, I wanted to ask your opinion on something. I'm about 18 and I've been drawing since I was a kid. I can't say I've always taken it seriously. I was at my peak during high-school. During this time I mostly drew from real life, like drawing portraits of my friends, trying to make them as realistic as I can make. I have to say, these were quite small sketches, made on a small sketchbook. Last year, I had to take a break from drawing due to college entrance exams. It's been almost a year. I want to pick up drawing again, and i want to work on larger scale portraits but i have trouble getting proportions right. I dont have this problem when I'm drawing on a smaller scale. And I should say I never had any lessons or courses on drawing, I know nothing about anatomy, I always draw what I see. I thought maybe that's the issue, so recently I've been practicing the Loomis Method. But I'm skeptical if it's helpful or not. I don't know if I should stick to the method and just practice it more, or just practice drawing what I see. Would learning methods and anatomy slow my process, since I can make decent portraits if I draw what I see? Will I benefit from it? If you read the entirety of this thank you for your time 😀
I love your work and your videos. I am not inexperienced having gone through art school, though not really drawing these days, but I have a question if you are interested and it's really just about the use of digital images, working from photos or working from real life. Have you any thoughts or biases or do you think all options are valid? I have no access to models and not really much time to sit for long sessions anyway and find that working from digital or photos at least gives me something, I just feel .... (if only a little) ..... dishonest, having done a lot of life drawing at art school.
I worry about that too, I always having trouble finisNice tutorialng anytNice tutorialng I try and create, but I figure if I do a little more each day, it'll get there one
Hello, I have been channel surfing RU-vid to collect as much knowledge as i can. I am a beginner just learning to draw. I definitely have potential. I practice as much as i can. What does the block in mean? I know you explained it in your. Video, im sorry it sounds confusing to me, i confuse myself at times.🤣 perhaps I'd understand alot better if i read it. Thank you in advance 🥰
I noticed you are doing a lot of softening/blending of edges during the halftone block-in. Shouldn't that be saved for later since there may be other values that blend into those half-tones ? I'm just trying to clarify the correct method or is it purely a personal choice here ?
i am pretty okay with drawing a face in general. what i suck at is drawing emotions. every single one of my drawings look emotionless, i cannot capture the essence of the human face. so uncanny valley
there is another, probably the most important issue in this matter that no one talks about. the sheet of paper should be parallel to the eyes. if you draw at an angle or on a flat table, all proportions can be disturbed.
I am not sure if this is where to give feedback on the block in course? I loved all of the content. It was invaluable to approach practicing block-ins from sight, structure , and hybrid modes of starting. You are an incredibly talented artist and teacher . The two are not frequently found in the same person. However, I found the course difficult to follow from the point of view of administration. I was double charged on discord and they can't find my account to return my double payment , but they can find me to bill my account. I was waiting for some in-person lessons and the only one you did was announced 15 minutes before you went on the air and I had to leave that day. I was disappointed in the part of the course to engage with you and other students, Otherwise I loved the course.
